Loosing You
by Dhrubowiz
Summary: Sakura pays the price of their friendship to be with her crush. A price that will cost her and before she knows, it is too late. A story of love, deception, heartbreak. May contain lemon in future, so the M rate. Its a BIG MAY!.
1. Chapter 1

**Loosing You**

 **Chapter 1: Confession.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did then Hinata would be dead from cancer. Boruto would not be a trash ass bitch, Himawari would have pinkish hair and Sakura would be Naruto's assistant and wife.**

 ** _"_** ** _Hinata sucks" – speech_**

 ** _'_** ** _Hinata is ugly' – thought_**

 **Konohagakure High School** , probably the most prestigious in the country, one reserved for the elite in all their fields - academic or otherwise. The best students in the prefecture could be found here in their thousands, coming from miles around to receive the best education the state had to offer.

Naruto Uzumaki wasn't the most intelligent of students, but he did have one thing not many other people did – popularity. He was well known in the area for being a delinquent-turned-social icon. It wasn't just adults who had changed their opinion on his in the past few years, the girls had also begun to see him in a different light and constantly vied from his attention. However, with the arrival of a new school term, Uzumaki Naruto had transferred to Konohagakure high school with the aim of helping those who couldn't fend for themselves.

It was 7am. The wind bustled the autumnal leaves which littered the cobbled paths sprawling outwards from the school in all directions, students milling towards the building in their masses. The sun was beginning to rise and stretch over the infamous north rock face of Konohagakure, Its many facets filtering light and shade over the surrounding familiar streets. The entire atmosphere still seemed somewhat fresh, chatter whistling through the air as a new term began.

Naruto walked alone with a trail of teenage girls at his heels. He wasn't used to all these female hormones, it was practically suffocating. He felt like dashing towards the school in a desperate bid to escape them, but thought he might end up being captured and held hostage by their grappling hands if he did so - that was the strength these fangirls possessed.

8:30am. That was the moment he saw a small girl trip over a cobbled stone on the footpath in front of him, the folder in her arms scattering sheets all along the pathway. The last trails of students scurried to avoid the papers, circling around her as she fumbled to collect her notes. He felt sorry for her, walked up to her and knelt in front of her slowly. Tentatively, as though she was a timid kitten who might run off on him at any moment. He couldn't see her eyes; her head was lowered. All he could see was a large red bandana covering most of her forehead, yet he could see stray strands of her pink hair peeking out from underneath the bizarre getup. It was almost as if she wanted people to look at her strangely.

"Hey, do you need a hand?"

It was meant to be a rhetorical question, as he had already begun to gather the sheets around him for her, his hands grasping them at an astonishing rate. In his peripheral vision, he saw half a dozen sheets fluttering away with the leaves towards a nearby river embankment in the breeze, and he rushed over momentarily to retrieve them. In his sudden dash, the girl had looked up in bewilderment, her soft mint green eyes tracing his movements in sheer denial.

"W-Why are you helping me?"

She spluttered in shock as he handed the bundle of crumpled sheets, a soft smile now gracing his face. His eyes crinkled in warmth at her stutters.

' _So cute…'_

He was taken aback by his feeling of protectiveness over her at that moment, but she was so shy and frail that he couldn't help it.

"Because you needed help. I wanted to anyway, and speaking to you now, I'm glad it did" He stated, slightly embarrassed. His hand scratched the back of his head in reflex, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into his signature sheepish grin.

She grinned back suddenly, her eyes closing as she chuckled softly along with him in their quiet daze. They still were kneeling on the ground, completely unaware that the bells for class had already ceased to ring.

 **(Scene Change)**

As autumn eventually transferred in to chilly winter mornings, Naruto and Sakura would spend every afternoon going home together after school. Of course, during lunch Naruto would play kick the can with Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji – his classmates who had all quickly become firm friends after discovering their shared love of anime. He tried to speak to Sakura every day for as long as he could after class, even taking the longer route home and walking in the opposite direction of his apartment towards her house to stay with her a little longer. She didn't know that, of course. Just like she was also blissfully unaware that this was more than a mere friendship to him, that he was falling for her every time she giggled, every time she got mad at her only other close friend – Ino, and every time she blushed when he complimented her on her soft shoulder length hair.

She revealed to him about her social anxiety, about her lack of understanding in how to act when she was with other people, in other words a social introvert. She got frustrated easily, her masked strength almost too difficult for him to handle at times - although he did tend to enjoy restraining her when he wrapped his arms around her waist as she tried to beat up people who called her 'forehead girl'.

 **(Scene Change)**

It was one of those frozen afternoons that his heart ached for the first time over a girl. They had left the cosy corridors of the main building behind them and were walking down past the football fields. The team was having their usual after school practice, their coach in a frenzy trying to keep them in a line during drills. One boy stood out from the entire line-up. Miles ahead of the others, handling a ball with such control and strength that he ran up and down the field in half the time than anyone else.

His back hair was flying behind his face, his pale skin turning blue from the cold, his dark eyes focused on nothing but the goal in front of him. Sasuke Uchiha.

It was well known that the Uchiha clan had received special treatment here for generations, their family receiving sport scholarships for their expertise in football for as long as the record books could display. But Sasuke was different. His passion for the sport went beyond normal reasoning. There was only one thing that rivalled his competition with the ball: That was his competition with Naruto.

Naturally, an arrogant football captain such as himself practically had a cult following of women by his side, but this had obviously been halved with the arrival of Naruto. That was where the resentment had started, but Naruto wasn't sure if that was the only reason for this irrational attention he had been receiving from Sasuke since he had started classes here.

Sasuke suddenly stood up and turned his head, glancing at the pair of them as they walked along the side-lines of the pitch. His eyes narrowed slightly and he turned away, beginning to stretch his body along with the rest of the team for a cool down. Sakura sighed softly, and Naruto looked around, alarmed.

 _'_ _Don't tell me….'_ A soft gasp left his lips as his eyebrows raised disbelievingly.

"Sasuke is so cool, isn't he?"

That was when he knew Sakura's heart didn't belong to him. He didn't even respond to it. The way her eyes lit up just by seeing Sasuke from afar, he knew then and there about her feelings.

"Naruto, I was wondering…. Would you mind helping me. Help me to confess to him, I mean?"

He turned his head away so she couldn't see the pain reflected in his clear blue eyes. So, this was who she loved. Not him, but the Uchiha. He couldn't reveal his feelings to her now, not after she had asked for his assistance. He wanted to help her whenever he could, so that was what he was going to do. No matter how much it hurt him, he was okay seeing her happy.

"Sure Sakura-chan, leave it to me!" A replied with his ever so warming smile. Sakura's eyes lit up, but she felt a different vibe from his smile. But the sheer excitement from the revelation overshadowed her doubts as she nodded quickly.

"Arigato!"

They walked home, a girl with a hopeful future and a boy with a dejected heart.

 **(Scene Change)**

 _'_ _I've never hated anyone other than my brother before, but Naruto Uzumaki sure comes close.'_

Sasuke tutted as he walked home that evening, his football bag slung over one shoulder, walking through the narrow streets and down the winding paths towards his home. Benches lined the street, almost abandoned in this wintry weather, yet one girl sat alone shivering not far from his apartment.

 _'_ _Is that…. Naruto's girlfriend?'_

He had seen them together a lot, and the thought made his blood boil. So, Naruto could have any girl he wanted, and yet he chose her? What was so special about her anyway? She looked pretty ordinary to him.

'Peh, that ugly forehead. Why would that idiot like her?'

But if Naruto saw something in her, then he presumed that maybe she wasn't completely useless. Just maybe.

He walked up to her purposefully, standing authoritatively in front of her in a confident stance, looking down at her with slight disdain.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"W-what?" Sakura raised her eyes from her pink cased phone. Noticing who just spoke to her, her mouth went agape.

Sakura narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. Over the years he had seen many girls confess to him, so naturally he was used to know different reactions from them, and their motives. Seeing her facial expression was enough to understand she wasn't any different. 'Another fangirl.'

He was ready to leave. 'Just when I thought there was something special about her.'

As he turned around without a word, Sakura's eyes narrowed and a sad frown was present on her face. Sasuke momentarily widened his eyes. 'What am I doing… this is the best chance…'

He quickly turned around facing her. Hopeful eyes met his once again. He regained his posture as he spoke.

"I like you, obviously. Ditch Uzumaki and I'll consider letting you hang out with me."

Her eyes widened, her body beginning to rally from nervousness as she realised what he was saying. Her mind hummed with a million questions, her stomach drooped at the harsh words he said about Naruto. She had to break her friendship off with Naruto if she wanted to go out with her crush? Was that a price she was willing to pay? How did he even know who she was? Had he been watching her; did he know her name? A lot of thoughts bombarded her in that mere moment.

Naruto wasn't far off, he had planned with sakura to wait for Sasuke AFTER practice so she could finally confess to him, but he had never anticipated this. As he crouched behind a bush in the shadows nearby, he was nearly crushed with internal agony. This hurt, this regret of never letting her know how he felt. Now she was going to be taken out of his grasp completely by a guy who seemed to have a grudge against him for an unknown reason. Naruto knew in that moment that Sasuke had seen him hiding nearby, had planned this to hurt him. He had used Sakura in a plan to pain Naruto like this, an innocent victim in his mind games.

"O-Okay."

As soon as those words left her lips, he couldn't believe it. He just stared at them for a moment before he slumped to the ground behind a tree, curling into himself, his arms wrapped around his knees. Tears pricked his eyes, yet they didn't fall. He didn't have the energy to let them. So, this was what it was like to be caught in a false love, in a love reserved for one. His eyes shadowed under his hair, his facial expression was not to be found.

"Very good, I expect from now on that you will not meet with him. I don't like broken, vows. Understood?"

Sakura slight faltered from the way he had spoken to her. But just like before, the fact that he liked her overshadowed her reasoning at that very moment. Her eyes just glittered with excitement, joy and happiness, unware of the price she paid for this falsehood.

 **Author's Note: Here's a new NaruSaku fanfiction. Hope you like it. It's a different approach to the usual bitch like Sakura I write, which to me is likeable, but most of the readers hate~ Like come on, Sakura can't be Sakura without being a bitch and likeable at the same time! Oh well, hope you like this version of her? No? Well sorry, I can't write her like Hinata.**

 **Anyways, let me know your thoughts. Reviews helps for faster update not gonna lie. But I wont make that a condition of course, since most of the fanfics with good reviews I never update and ones that has no reviews I keep updating. It just depends on the mood tbh. But I will try to properly end this and 'A lost Key' which is my favourite fanfiction so far.**

 **Rate and Review~ PMs are welcome too!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Loosing you**

 **PART 2**

"Oi, Oi, OI NARUTO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

Naruto was shaken from his reoccurring trance from the booming voice of Choji reverberating in his right ear. He was in class, towards the back of the room in a chair by the window. Only one night had separated this hazy moment and that of his hidden breakdown. He felt ashamed really, ashamed by the fact that he let something as petty as a crush made him feel this way. He hadn't even known Sakura that long, so why did he feel so betrayed by her? Sakura was in **class C** while he was allotted in **class B** , so they hadn't seen each other all morning - Naruto had been late waking up. It had taken him so long to fall asleep in the first place, that now he couldn't help dozing off at school and seeing her pink hair in his daydreams.

The classroom was cold, the rustic brick stonework made it feel more like an institution on a day like this. A myriad of books littered the opposing wall, untouched by the substitute teacher seated at the head desk, his face buried deep in an erotic novel. He hadn't spoken to the class yet, hadn't noticed the readily-dozing boy at the back of the room.

Truth be told, although Naruto was in a dazed state, he felt completely restrained. Not in the sense that he was incapable of physical movement, more that his brain was simply unable to function in its usual manner. He sat there, an unrecognizable expression on his face as he turned to stare at Choji blankly. Choji leaned over his seat comically as he sat beside the spiky haired ball of misery, his face one of concern and utmost surprise. He had never seen a face like that before, never envisioned that someone could ever look so lost.

"Hey, man. You okay? You spaced out on us there – one minute we were talking about the latest episode of **My Hero Academia** , the next, POOF, Naruto's off in dreamland/Naruto has been disconnected/An ally has been slain… you get the point."

Naruto quickly realised he hadn't been hiding his disappointment as well as he had hoped. A boy as cheerful as him had to remain that way to avoid suspicion, to avoid **reverting back to** the way he used to be, to stop…. to remember who he was now. In times like these, it became difficult to do so, He had strong resolve, but his self-worth was as easily scattered as the already rotting leaves that fell from the courtyard of deciduous trees, getting trampled on daily by a torrent of students.

"Uh… sorry Choji, I just can't really concentrate on anything today. Must have a flu or something."

 _'_ _Didn't look like he bought it. That excuse was pretty lame, anyway.'_

Choji leaned back for a moment in hesitation, a puzzled look on his face a he gazed at his friend. Naruto pleaded with his eyes, prayed that Choji would just let it go. He didn't want to speak about it, voicing it would make it seem more real and pretty than it already was.

Choji waited a few moments and recover himself, smiling as if their staring contest hadn't just occurred.

"My dad makes the best Lamb cutlet bowls, and I can guarantee they'll make any flu symptoms go away the moment you taste it. Come over to my place after class and we can catch up with the episodes you missed last week"

"… Sure. I guess I'll be there."

"Shikamaru, Kiba you coming too?"

Choji looked over to his left, where their other friends had been playing a game of shoji in the light of their teacher's dismissiveness. They looked up instinctively, a wide grin on Kiba's face, a slight scowl gracing that of Shikamaru.

"What a drag."

Kiba pushed his opponent playfully on the chest, knocking him backwards and ruining the losing game of shoji. He laughed slightly as his brutal actions saved him the embarrassment being defeated by Shikamaru yet again, and turned to the others.

"We'll be there." Kiba replied happily.

"Hey, guys, could you shut up? I'm trying to read here."

The voice echoed lazily around the room, taking the girls by surprise at its silky quality. At first some looked around as if not knowing who had uttered this command, but their glances slowly drifted towards the now standing teacher at the head of the room. He wore a mask, strangely, and his silvery-grey hair was spiked and held upwards by a headband that concealed one of his eyes.

"You'd think a substitute teacher would try to make a good impression during class instead of reading ecchi novels." Kiba scoffed loudly, pointing at the battered copy of ' **Icha Icha tactics'** situated in the young man's left hand. He had gotten through reading most of the pages during this class, it seemed.

"This is a very educational piece of literature, and I don't intend to stay in the area anyways, so there's not really much point in making a good impression." He sighed, almost muttering his resigned response. A murmur began to develop through the classroom again as they returned to work or chatting to friends, while others simply stared at the abnormal adult that was supposed to be taking the class.

A loud voice suddenly boomed in the corridor outside;

"KAKASHI SENSEI!"

"Oh gosh…" Kakashi muttered, his one unconcealed eye flickering to look outside at whoever owned this voice. He took a step backwards behind the desk and put his copy of Icha Icha down – not before marking his page with a bookmark.

A man in a green jumpsuit lept into the room with astonishing gusto and pointed at the substitute teacher obnoxiously. He had a shiny black bowl cut, his thick dark eyebrows also a striking feature. His name was **Might Gai** , apparently, he was the football coach.

 _'_ _What a coincidence. Maybe sakura won't ignore me if I start to play soccer like him.'_ Naruto let out a dry laugh to his own sarcastic thought.

"How is my newly-found eternal rival doing? I hope you've thought over and are willing to accept my incredible offer to stay and help coach the football team with the power of youth!"

"Uhhhhahahahaha, no can do Gai sensei, I should go file a report now - kids I'll be back at the end of class – don't leave your seats, got it?"

Kakashi fled from the room, almost disappearing on sight in his haste to get out of this sticky situation. Apparently, Kakashi didn't want a permanent position here, which left a lot to the imagination. Most people would jump at the chance to work here, so why was he so adamant to leave?

Some people were obviously less concerned about his reasoning, and Gai sensei just gaped in response.

"Wha – did he just escape from my offer again? AS EXPRECTED OF MY WORTHY RIVAL! HE HAS AGILITY THAT CAN ONLY BE HARNESSED WITH THE POWER OF YOUTH! I will get you to stay and fight for a permanent position here, Kakashi sensei, so we can continue our righteous battles till the end!"

He strode out of the room confidently, in search of his new 'comrade'. The students were left unattended once again, and Naruto turned away to look out the window thinking of how the end of winter couldn't come quickly enough.

 _'_ _This school in insane'_

 **(Scene Change)**

Sakura waited outside the school gate as she always did for Naruto at the end of the day. She was so used to walking home with him at this stage that she wasn't quite sure how she was going to cope now that it was all going to change. Although her mind was swelling with happiness at the thought of finally being with the boy she had admired for so long, a bittersweet taste was left in her mouth at the thought of letting go of the one person who had lifted her up when she had fallen.

'Maybe I'm making a mistake?'

'But this is what I have always wanted, isn't it?'

This hadn't been just a mere high school crush, clearly. Sakura thought back to the first time she had ever seen Sasuke. It had been eight years ago, they were halfway through elementary school. It was in the library. Sakura had visited the library nearly every day to stay on top of her classwork, but things changed after their first interaction. He was reading a book in the back corner of the library, his pale palm cupping his cheeks as he gazed mindlessly at the inked pages. His feet were swinging below the table, he was obviously agitated about something. His brow was furrowed as he squinted at the writing in front of him.

 _Maybe he needs glasses?_

A red tinge flickered in his eyes momentarily, but as soon as Sakura blinked in surprise it was gone. He flung the book down in exasperation and leaned back, rubbing his face with his hands.

After seeing his ethereal looks for the first time, Sakura went to the library every day in the hope of getting to see him again. It didn't mattered how normal he acted, what little mannerisms he had. His aura was so far above anyone else's, his status leagues above her own – she would never get to have a full conversation with him. She never thought she would have a full conversation with a boy in the first place, much less Sasuke. She simply watched him read those books every evening, hoping that one day he might notice her too.

Sakura heard footsteps and was brought out of her daze of memories by a sight of bright blonde hair, slightly more flattened than usual. She glanced at his eyes, dark circles encircling them, his face a mask of insomnia.

A lump rose in her throat.

 _'_ _Please don't say I did this to Naruto.'_

 _'_ _Please,_

 _I'm not worth it.'_

 _'_ _That's right, it can't be me. I couldn't have this sort of effect on someone as strong as Naruto, what was I thinking?'_

 _'_ _Just because you're dating Sasuke now doesn't mean anyone really cares.'_

She sighed and furrowed her brows, beginning to walk up to her friend - her feet treading softly on the grass. They were beside the football pitch again, only a few metres apart, walking towards each other. They were almost face to face-

And Naruto walked straight past her.

He didn't even greet her, didn't even acknowledge she was there.

Sakura stopped in pure shock, as though the universe would swallow her whole, that the one stable thing she had finally found in her life had just been taken away

 _Because it has._

Her eyes widened as she realized she might completely lose his warmth, possibly even taint the memories they had created together.

 _'_ _I know he might be a bit upset, but I can't let him think it's his fault. He did everything he could to help someone like me.'_

She swivelled on her heel and began to sprint after a slowly paced Naruto, his feet picking up the pace as he heard her footstep following him. Her adrenaline kicked in, and her determination to reach him paid off. She grabbed his orange coat sleeve and tugged it back harshly, stopping him in his tracks.

"Naruto, let me explain. Please."

"It's ok Sakura, I know why you did what you did. I won't get in your way." He sighed, looking away from her and moving his arm, struggling to loosen her grip on his clothes. She held on tighter.

"No, you're not in my way, what are you talking about Naruto?" She felt exasperated and confused, unable to comprehend his thought, as though he cared about her far more than he should.

"I would only burden you with your relationship now. But its fine, I really hope you and Sasuke can work things out" He turned his head to look at her momentarily, his body still facing away, a sad smile gracing his face as he attempted to comfort her and soften the blow that was their crumbling relationship.

"Naruto, don't say that like you are saying goodbye." She felt tears well up in her eyes not in response to his words, but the way he looked at that moment, the way he looked as though he was about to fall apart but was keeping it together jut for her. Just enough to let her go for her sake, rather than show her his vulnerability and make her stay.

"Well, isn't that what this is? Isn't that why you wanted to talk to me?' He stated, slightly resigned. He turned his head away again.

"I-…"

"You don't need to say anything. I get it." His voice was colder, but cracked slightly at the end. He shook her grasp, loosened her grip and freed his arm. He took long strides to get away from the situation. Running away. Her blood boiled as her heart began to hurt from being overworked, it seemed that happened all the time when she was around him. She was too emotional for her own good.

"Naruto, why do you always think you know what everyone's thinking? Why do you always believe you're the only one who can help people? I was going to explain everything, but you're not even letting me speak-"

"Because I don't want to hear it Sakura!"

Both stopped at his sudden outburst, Sakura's eyes widened at his raised voice - she had never seen him like this. He took a deep breath and explained himself.

"I don't want to hear what I already know. I don't want to hear it confirmed by you. Leave me alone. I am happy for you, now let me stay happy!"

"Naruto wait-"

"Don't talk to me anymore."

He walked away, leaving her dumbstruck and unexplained, alone on their shared pathway towards home.

 **(Scene Change)**

An hour later, Naruto was still calming himself down not far from Choji's house. He needed to collect himself before going to meet his friends, so he could once again pretend it was just an illness he was suffering from. He decided to calm down by sitting on a bench by the affluent side of town, near his apartment block. He lived in the penthouse on the top floor of the best hotel naturally. That didn't matter right now. He had his head in his hands, cowardly screaming inwardly to himself.

 _'_ _Baka baka baka!. You blew it, you really did it this time.'_

"Ummm, are you okay? Naruto-kun?"

He raised his head slightly, meeting the gaze of a teenage girl. She was petite, rather short with long straight red hair, her blunt bangs sweeping her face as the wind blew it around her with every gust. She had pale skin, striking teal eyes and an expression of utmost concern lacing her features.

"Who are you?" Naruto murmured quietly, his voice still muffled by his hands, now resting on his chin and covering his mouth.

"Um… we in the same class. Im **Shimizu Akane**. I don't talk much, maybe maybe that's why you don't know who I am? Well, I suppose I am talking a lot now so you probably won't believe me when I say that I am normally quite shy. I'm kind of rambling right now, it's because I am nervous, I wonder if-"

"You have a pretty name, Akane. It suits you"

Her face flushed bright red to match her hair, and she quickly bent her head down to bow at him. He leaned back onto the bench in surprise at the gesture, obviously not knowing what else to say to this girl he had just realised existed. Words tumbled out of her mouth in a torrent, as though she was unable to hold them back;

"I know you probably get this a lot, but, but! I really admire you! and I'm not a stalker – I have just seen you in class and in the halls and and! you seem really down today, and I know its selfish of me to ask but, but! could I maybe try and comfort you? I have cookies?"

He stared at her in shock for a few moments, before his face broke into a genuine smile. Her way of speaking twice at times made her sound even more cute than she already was.

"Sure, I'll worry about my messed-up life tonight instead" He joked, and patted the seat beside him in invitation to sit down on the bench next to him.

 _'_ _She doesn't need to get involved'_

 _'_ _But why do I feel like she's also different, just like sakura was?'_

 _'_ _I shouldn't use her for my own recovery, I need to speak to him. I need to confront Sasuke.'_

 **(End)**

 **Author's Note: Here's the new chapter, hope you liked it. Some already hating on Sakura, why am I not surprised? The Naruto fandom is comprised of two people, one: Sakura sucks, she is useless. Two: Hinata is the most useful thing ever! She is gorgeous! Oh did you see they held hands? Oh my did that make a baby?! It's an idirect kiss right? RIGHT!?**

 **Well guess what, you can both make yourself out of my fanfiction lol. I sound salty right? Well I am not, because who cares. You can like whoever you want, if a boring Hinata garbage is your cup of tea, by all means have the full cup of tea, I rather drink bleach.** **:3**

 **Review if you are still okay after the rant lol.**


	3. Encounter

**Loosing you**

 **(Encounter)**

"So, Naruto kun, what are you doing sitting here alone anyway? I thought you were going over to Choji-kun's…."

Her voice trailed off, shock registering on her face as she realised what she had been thinking had just slipped out. Her face flushed crimson, her voice agape with embarrassment, making choking noises as she spluttered out at explanation.

"I mean, that's not what I meant! I meant that I was j-just, I was just passing by when I heard you two talking, but it wasn't weird or anything! I just happened to overhear, y-you have a very distinctive voice, that's all!"

Naruto stared at her momentarily, then began to splutter as hysterical laughter escaped his lips and his stony facade was broken. He leaned forward, clutching his sides and trying to catch his breath for a few minutes, Akane just grew more and more flustered with every moment.

"I-It's not funny!"

"You really are something, Shimizu Akane"

"Huh?"

Naruto glanced up at the choked response, his puzzled gaze meeting her surprised one. Her eyes immediately seemed to spark with something Naruto couldn't place, her pale face tinged pink, a soft muffled gasp escaping her lips.

He looked at the girl for several seconds, seated closely alongside him on the cold bench, already slightly damp from the rain the night before. A flustered expression still etched across her face.

 _'_ _It's quite cute. This girl...'_ He couldn't help but the think about it.

She was deathly pale, especially evident with her vermillion hair contrasting against her skin and cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall in the sunset. A few waves throughout gave it volume, the brief glimpses of winter sunlight casting a sheen over its entire length. Her eyes were warm, they were averting his gaze now, but they seemed to glow as she looked down towards her small feet. Her irises were a familiar shade of mint green. Naruto avoided reminding himself why this familiarity pierced him so fiercely.

"I should probably head there soon, and you should get back into the heat of your home, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold or something" Naruto warned her assuredly, stepping out towards the road and offering his hand to help her up in the process. You could tell from her expression that there was something she wanted to tell him, the way a fire seemed to burn in her eyes like scorched ochre as though she would internally combust if she wasn't able to speak.

"U-uh. Thankyou. I -Uh - never mind" The girl sighed in defeat. She clutched Naruto's hand gratefully and hoisted herself up into a standing position, smiling warmly as she did so. A soft pang went through his chest as his eyes locked on her eyes again, for reasons he was still unable to face. He turned his attention to their intertwined hands instead, and slowly released his grip on her cold fingers.

"T-thank you for speaking with me Naruto-kun! I really appreciate and admire you, and I – well, have a nice day!' She bowed politely and hurriedly to him, turning around and dashing up the pathway and out of sight as quickly as she had arrived.

It felt like she came like a storm and left like that. An incident that felt like never happened.

He sighed loudly, his exhalation forming a cloud of mist in front of his tense face, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was deep in thought, wondering how the rest of the day would pan out, wondering if he should just leave his feelings out of his actions now and think objectively, or if he should look for the answers he so badly craved.

His impulsive nature won the internal argument, his hands balling into fists, his whiskers crinkling as he wrinkled his nose, huffing determinedly. He needed to find him, he knew he needed to find Sasuke and question him about Sakura if he was going to get any peace of mind. Whether it hurt him in the process or not was irrelevant, for now he would lock away any agony he was currently feeling. He'd picture something else instead when the time came in order to keep up his strong appearance.

 _'_ _I won't fall apart like last time.'_

He passed Choji's street without hesitation, running manically, his arms flailing behind him in his cold air. They felt numb, turning blue from the cold and lack of gloves he possessed. It was about half a mile to the football field where Naruto knew he would be, but not many others would be out on a day like today. Frost laced the grass as though it had been covered in white spray paint. The place looked almost entirely abandoned, mist forming over the pitch so you couldn't see the opposing goal posts. Naruto squinted his eyes in search of a lone figure, and found what he was looking for without much difficulty.

Sasuke seemed to be practicing drills alone in the middle of the field, his eyes downcast, his back muscles tensed below a short-sleeved football shirt. His ivory arms hung languidly by his sides, tinged blue, covered in goose bumps from the cold.

"Oi, Sasuke! I need to speak with you." Naruto hollered from the side-lines, putting up a friendly stance in order to coax his rival away from his incessant training. Sasuke's head snapped up immediately, his dark eyes scanning the horizon for the culprit of his momentary shock. His eyes eventually settled on Naruto face, as he stared blankly for several seconds in anticipation.

He heard the football captain mutter something under his breath, and place the ball down on the ground carefully before slowly making his way over to the edge of the pitch. He lazily sauntered over with each step making Naruto's irritation grow increasingly poignant by the second. He hadn't even begun to speak yet, and he already couldn't contain himself.

"What do you want from her, Sasuke?" Naruto snarled as soon as they had come face to face, not even bothering to exchange pleasantries. Sasuke rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, as if already expecting this statement as his only welcome. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his navy tracksuit bottoms, arching his back slightly and tilting his chin upwards, his eyebrows rising simultaneously. He deadpanned in response to Naruto's query, looking at him in silence with a mix of degradation, contempt and something else that was somewhat unrecognizable.

"Who?"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt collar wildly, pulling the raven-haired boy towards him, their noses a mere inch from one another. Naruto's ferocious gaze pierced Sasuke's widened ones. His nose and cheeks had turned crimson.

"What are you trying to achieve by going after her? You never even gave her a second glance before, so why now? Why- just when I- "

"Just when you were **what** , dobe? Just when you were going to go after her for yourself? I mean, look at you, you can't even say her name now, can you?"

Naruto's mouth hung open in response. His brain seemed to melt at the sudden accusations, ones that hit too close to home. He couldn't even respond coherently to them, his face still only centimetres apart from his opponent as he stammered.

"I-"

"Go on, baka, tell me what you were going to do to Sakura. I am genuinely not interested in your personal affairs, but I'll have to step in if you're pining for my lovely girlfriend" Sasuke seemed to snigger slightly as he teased him, placing one of his cool hands on Naruto's chest as if genuinely sympathetic as he chastised him mockingly.

Naruto realised the compromising position they were both in first, looking for an escape route from this situation alerted him to the close proximity in which they spoke to each other. Their bodies were far too close to each other than what would be considered normal, their faces far too animated, far too flushed with supposed rage to avoid suspicion from anyone who happened to pass by. Naruto didn't want to make a scene and revert back to a part of him he had left behind.(Not yaoi shit. Trust me!)

He backed away first, loosening his grip on Sasuke's clothing and letting his hand fall to his side He became stony faced, as though aware of his temporary defeat, cussing slightly under his breath as he didn't get straight answers once again. However, he was left with more information than he had anticipated.

 _'_ _One things for certain. This guy has ulterior motives. I don't know what they are yet, but he also seems to have some sort of grudge against me. I just hope he is not using Sa… her to score against me.'_

 _'_ _I just need to figure out how all this is connected. And most of all, why he had to go after Sakura after he had already ignored her for years. It's just not normal.'_

He took a measured step backwards, noticed a flicker of anger register in Sasuke eyes at his removal from the situation. He made a mental note of it and continued to press on with his planned retreat in response.

"I don't know what you're thinking Sasuke, but you should leave an innocent girl out of it. Sakura did nothing but care for you, the least you can do is appreciate that."

"You don't know what the word even means, baka. You're so stupid, honestly. You wouldn't know affection if it hit you in the face."

He scoffed lightly, swivelling as he did so, walking slowly away from their encounter as though it had never happened.

 _'_ _Maybe that's for the best, at least for now.'_

Naruto tasked disappointedly, but then too turned his back on Sasuke receding figure. They both strolled away from the confrontation silently, glad that nobody had witnessed the tension between them.

Alas, one boy has been gazing curiously at the pair from the moment Naruto had come into his field of vision. From the quiet corners of the upstairs library, a small figure peered out an old, condensation covered window, his vision flitting towards the football field. He witnessed the shouts, the close proximity, the tension between two rivals, and the sullen after math.

He watched until Naruto's back became obscured from view, and then sat there, staring blankly until it was time for him to leave. The quiet boy scratched his head worriedly, ruffling his bright hair in the process, thinking of a plan of action. It was one that could change everything, one he would implement the very next day.

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED_**

 ** _Author's Note: Okay, please don't give me any yaoi suggestions. Just stop that thought. Thanks._**

 ** _Review~_**


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